The New England Patriots are entering a new era for their franchise. Following the 2023 NFL season and a 4-13 record, the team decided to move on from head coach and de facto general manager Bill Belichick. The future Hall of Fame head coach won six Super Bowl championships while leading the Patriots, but was unable to continue their string of excellence following the departure of quarterback Tom Brady.
Earlier this offseason, the Patriots announced that they had promoted Jerod Mayo, a member of the Patriots All 2010’s Team and the team’s inside linebackers coach, to the position of head coach to succeed his mentor. However, the team moved forward with their offseason without an official general manager or head of their player personnel department.
That changed on Saturday.
The New England Patriots Announce Eliot Wolf Has Accepted the Role of Executive Vice President of Player Personnel
Ever since Belichick and the Patriots parted ways, it was assumed by many that Eliot Wolf, who was the team’s Director of Scouting and had been with the organization since 2020, would take over Belichick’s role as the head of player personnel. However, owner Robert Kraft did not officially make any decisions regarding the position until today.
According to the Patriots’ website, Kraft said:
“As I have started multiple times during the offseason, the plan was to observe the working relationship and involvement between Eliot and Jerod and see how they managed our offseason personnel decisions. Then, following the draft we would formally undertake a process for setting up the permanent structure of our personnel department.”
Apparently, Kraft was pleased with how Wolf and Mayo worked together leading up to and during the draft because he followed that statement by saying:
“I have been impressed with Eliot’s management style and experience and I’m excited that he has agreed to take on this new position.”
In a statement also on the Patriots’ website, Wolf had the following to say about his acceptance of the new position:
“It is an honor to accept this position with the New England Patriots. I am grateful to the Kraft family for this opportunity and want to thank my family, especially my wife and children, for the support and strength they have given me as I move forward in my new role. I also want to thank all of the people I have worked with and learned from over the years.”
This was obviously a decision that, while many thought it was a foregone conclusion, was not made lightly. The Patriots had one of the most successful 20-year runs in NFL history during the Belichick/Brady era and are eager to return to that level of competition.
That being said, Eliot Wolf was born for this job.
New England Patriots Vice President of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf Is the Son of a Hall of Fame General Manager
Wolf is the son of Ron Wolf, the Hall of Fame general manager who turned the Green Bay Packers franchise around after two decades of mediocrity. The elder Wolf orchestrated the trade that brought Atlanta Falcons quarterback Brett Favre to Green Bay and he convinced Reggie White, the most coveted free agent in the NFL at the time, to join the smallest market in the NFL.
Under Ron’s guidance, the Packers won Super Bowl XXXI and have seen a string of success at the quarterback position that few teams can match.
Even though his father retired from the Packers in 2000, the organization hired Eliot as a pro personnel assistant in 2004. The younger Wolf worked for the Packers until 2017, eventually achieving the role of Director of Football Operations.
From 2018-19, Wolf was the assistant general manager of the Cleveland Browns. As mentioned, New England hired him as a consultant in 2020.
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